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Topsfield, Ma.

From Organic Gardening Magazine: Fill a large bucket w/one shovelfull of nearly finished compost and water. Stir vigorously once a day for at least 3 days. The "tea" is ready when it gets frothy on top and the bubbles don't disappear right after stirring.
I really like the simplicity...welcome all thoughts and critiques...Giant Jack? ...anyone...LOL! Thanks in advance,
Duff

3/1/2009 7:25:51 PM

Seattle, WA

Hmmm...couple of thoughts.

1. You're not adding any food resources, so you're primarily looking at extraction with this method.

2. I'd cut the brewing time to 12-24 hours and suggest stirring as frequently as you can stand it.

3. You won't have nearly the microbial activity that you would in well made actively aerated compost tea, but it's a good start!

4. I see this all the time, but froth or foaming is really not a good indicator as to the quality of a compost tea. I've looked at many samples with foaming that were both really good and really bad. I know others with microscopes who have had the same result. I can share that if you're having foaming problems (ie. overflowing out of the bucket) you can add 1-2 tsp. of vegetable oil to keep the foaming down, without compromising the quality of your tea.

~Tad

3/2/2009 4:11:20 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Good insights Tad. Thanks for weighing in. I'll have to research some more. This board is loaded with info!
Duff

3/2/2009 7:33:54 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Isnt this the two types of tea..CT (Compost Tea) & ACT (Aerated Compost Tea)? Aren't they sorta two different types of things? Thanks to all for all the input!! Peace, Wayne

3/2/2009 8:12:49 PM

Seattle, WA

You could say it's 2 different types of tea, though with the method from the magazine you are adding some oxygen with your stirring. I suppose it could be a good way to get into using compost teas, though I wouldn't recommend using any manure based composts (potential pathogens if compost isn't fully composted).

ACT/AACT or aerated compost teas are going to have exponentially more biomass and microbial activity though than the stirring method.

3/4/2009 3:31:43 PM

Seattle, WA

Here's a couple of good starting points on the internet:

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/approach.html
*read the section on how to make actively aerated compost tea

http://microbeorganics.com/
*Tim Wilson's site, who's a friend of mine and does excellent microscope work

http://simplici-tea.com/articles.htm
*This is my website, but I think you may find the first 2 articles on there to be helpful. :)

~Tad

3/4/2009 3:34:59 PM